“All pleaded guilty to obtaining unauthorised access to computer materials to facilitate the commission of an offence,” the court clerk told us.

This is punishable by a minimum of 12 months in prison or a fine on summary conviction, or up to five years or a fine on indictment.

The Quadsys Five are due to be sentenced on 9 September, where a second charge – obtaining unauthorised access to computer materials with intent to commit an offence – will be heard.

“That will be dealt with at sentencing; the prosecution will say what they would like to happen,” the clerk added.

The men were arrested in March last year and were charged in August. They were held on suspicion of “conspiracy to commit computer misuse offences; unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences; and conspiracy to enter into/be concerned in the acquisition/retention/use of controls of criminal property.”

It was alleged they broke into a rival security reseller’s database to plunder customer information and pricing data.